Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, the paddle shifters aren't shifters. at all

they are top gear limiters.

If you put it in 3 it'll bounce off the rev limiter all day long at the top of 3rd... but remain a fully automatic 3 speed transmission using gears 1, 2, and 3 below that.... and so on.


And FWIW the IS350 is slightly quicker than the G35 is... (and the G37 is slightly slower than both- despite the added hp they porked it out weight wise)


On the 06 you can turn off TRAC/VSC, but it requires a complex combination of pedal presses when you start the car each time (search on peddle dance to see directions).... on 07+ you just hold the TRAC/VSC button down for 5 seconds and it turns them off until you restart the car (or hit the button again).

duckJAI

Thanks everyone!

I will do some seat time this weekend if the wife allows.

I'd much rather the IS350 (although I haven't driven one but knowing Lexus) I really dislike the G35 gas pedal roughness, especially from a stop and go.

Also, I've been having trouble finding a solid answer to whether the IS350 06/07 has an LSD or not. I've read in Canada it comes with LSD for the sport package, but then I've read it's a semi-lsd? I'm assuming it's a Torsen since they had it in the IS300.

bdelong36

For what its worth, I came out of a GS430 with intake/chip and fine the IS more modern and fun to drive...but smaller... Just spent some fun time inthe mountians chasing an M3 and have no complaints.

Buy the IS350, yu wont regret it..and if you do the good are easy to sell on.

Just make sure everyone fits. We aren't kidding about small back seats.

reyoasian

iTrader: (2)

Not to mention an IS350 can burn an ISF on the drag strip (...a short one at least)

dmvp29

Sure. Here's an IS350 competing with a G37 IPL (350 HP) from 0 to about 70 MPH -


Here's a modded IS350 (hks exhaust) competing against a stock 2006 G35 from highway speeds. Camera car is the G35.-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx0m0tfb98k&t=1m20s
Here's one where the IS350 loses against an E46 M3 from a highway roll (40 MPH to around 100 MPH) -


The IS350 gets the jump but the M3 catches up eventually.

dmvp29

The IS350 does not have an LSD.

Also, here's an IS350 vs a bunch of cars from 0 (this is where the IS350 shines) -

dmvp29

And again just to reiterate, the following points are extremely important -

#1 - The only modifications you can do to the IS350's engine are negligible (intake, headers, exhaust, for around 25 whp total)

#2 - The IS350 does not have paddle shifters. Just imagine that the paddles don't even exist. The IS350 is a fully automatic car.

#3 - While it's possible to get maximum acceleration from 0 with traction control on, there's always a high chance that traction control will bog you down every once in a while, so the only way to ensure maximum acceleration from 0 is to turn traction control off. With the 07+ models, you can turn traction control off easily with the push of a button (for 5 seconds).

With the 06 model, you can turn traction control off but it's much more cumbersome and you also can't readily re-engage it while you're driving (whereas with the 07+ you can easily re-engage traction control any time with just the push of a button).

dmvp29

Here's an IS350 vs an ISF at the drag strip a bunch of times -


On average, the IS350 nails the quarter mile in about 13.5 seconds @ 100 MPH while the ISF nails the quarter mile in about 12.8 seconds @ 110 MPH.

CalitriSC

iTrader: (13)

Is the OP concerned with drag racing lol? I think the 350 is a great all around car with plenty of power for daily driving. And not that it matters but the IS-F walks away from the 350 bigtime after 100...

duckJAI

Thanks guys, but no I am not interested in drag racing or even highway runs. I'll most take the car to the track once in a while, but take it to the touge more often as I prefer that more. I think 30whp would be satisfying enough....I'm not looking for huge power right off the bat so 300whp I'd be more than happy with (including mods)

I test drove one today and I was pretty happy with the power. Feels faster than a stock 335i, although tests show 335i is faster?, and MUCH more smoother in power delivery than the G35. Interior was great with the nice heated/cooled seats, very comfy. It would have been really nice if they had the bolster extentions like the 335i sport pkg and G35 type S, but I can live with how it is.

The back seats were decent, as I was expecting worse. My 6yr old sat comfortably with his booster and I could fit in the back passenger seat OK, with my knees brushing the passenger seat slightly (I'm 5'10").

I couldn't really corner hard with it as we had a full car but overall I'm impressed. I'd be switching to aftermarket coilovers so the handling would be immensely improved as well with some good sway bars.

As for the differential, what is in the rear? Open diff? Is there an upgrade to a LSD with different packages (sport pkg?)

dmvp29

The general consensus is the 335i is a couple tenths of a second (literally .1-.2) faster than the IS350, which in turn is a couple tenths of a second faster than the G37, which is a couple tenths of a second faster than the pre-update C350 (the new ones have 300 HP now; I can't speak to its relative performance but I'm sure the numbers are out there).

335i > IS350 > G37 > C350. The 335i, IS350, and G37 are really close to each other, though, and stock performance is virtually indistinguishable. And, I say this having owned a 335i coupe prior to my IS350 (I've test driven a G37, but admittedly I have no experience with the C350, I'm just going by the numbers published).

The F-sport front and rear sway bars will improve handling tremendously (I suggest installing the F-sport front and rear sway bars before coilovers, even, if handling is your priority).

There's quite a bit of body roll with the IS350 stock. The F-sport front and rear sway bars really do wonders to tighten up the body and allow for cleaner, harder cornering.

dmvp29

And also one more thing - you won't get 300 whp with intake, headers, and exhaust.

As I said before, I/H/E will net you about 20-25 whp (the "30 whp" figure people are throwing around in this topic is really generous).

Furthermore, a stock IS350 puts down around 260 whp bone stock. Even going by the generous "+30 whp" estimates, that only gets you to around 290 whp. In reality, you can expect to be in the 280s with I/H/E, with (PPE) headers making the most significant difference.

robertrios

iTrader: (11)

Was this in jest

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

As to the rear end in the 350- it's open but has an "electronic LSD" (basically used trac control type stuff to try and act like an LSD a bit...

There is no factory mechanical LSD option available.

There's some aftermarket options but they're stupid expensive (like 2-4 times what I paid for a quality LSD in a GM V8 car)

ISF4life

iTrader: (30)

no it was all bolts on , is350 has full tanabe exhaust, fsport intake, and ppe header, 1/8 mile track, beaten stock isf 3 of times. my slips were 8.4 to 8.6 all day fastest time of all IS or ISF that day. Weather about mid 80. U can check out my old video clips